CYA to host the Forum on Education Abroad European Conference in Athens, Oct 5-7

The Forum on Education Abroad is organising the 3rd European Conference titled “Living Change: Education Abroad in 21st Century Europe.”

The theme of The Forum explores how U.S. education abroad defines Europe, and how European education abroad partners define Europe to visiting U.S. students, so that students may appreciate the past, understand the present and anticipate the future of the most popular education abroad destination.

How do present-day European realities influence U.S. education abroad? How do U.S. students perceive present-day Europe? How do their European education abroad experiences deconstruct their expectations? How can international educators encourage students to develop a better understanding of present-day Europe?

How can international educators express a shared culture that is at once the foundation of accumulated history and cultural knowledge and at the same time changes as each nation responds to current issues?

The conference will address the interests of education abroad administrators and faculty who work and teach in Europe, as well as colleagues from the U.S. who work with European programs and universities. The common goal of the conference will be to share ideas for model practices for U.S. education abroad in Europe in light of the conference theme, including program design and curriculum, teaching, and a wide range of issues and topics.

CYA [College Year in Athens] is hosting the conference in which over 400 people will attend, about two-thirds of whom are based in Europe. The Forum has long been known for its discussion-based conference sessions in which attendees share their knowledge, experiences and perspectives with other colleagues.

CYA president Alexis Phylactopoulos and Conference Chair said: “Europe is currently facing a series of challenges, an economic crisis in the South, an unprecedented influx of refugees, a deficient European Union governance structure, Brexit with its possible consequences, and some acts of terrorism. All this has Euroscepticism on the increase and a potential rise of extreme right-wing parties in the horizon. The picture today is a big contrast to the peaceful museum land that was Europe a few years back. How can we explain this new Europe to our education abroad students? How can we describe the changes that are transforming a traditional study abroad destination, and de ne this new Europe for our young, impressionable students? ”

For more than five decades, CYA has offered unparalleled learning opportunities in Greece. Incorporated in 1962 as a non-profit under U.S. law, CYA was the first study-abroad program in Greece for English-speaking undergraduates.

CYA offers semester, academic year, and summer study abroad programs taught in English. Since its establishment in 1962 it has offered U.S. university students an academically rigorous program of studies combined with the vibrant experience of day-to-day contact with the people, monuments, and landscape of Greece and the Mediterranean region.

The academic program is enhanced by highly qualified faculty who have a passionate commitment to their subject and their students. Courses are offered in a variety of disciplines covering both ancient and modern areas of studies. The program is designed to help students achieve their academic goals while imparting a deeper understanding Greece and the region through the ages, and to gain a new perspective on the global environment through a hands-on learning opportunities.

CYA students view their study abroad in Greece as a life- changing experience, one that has increased their awareness and perceptions making them better prepared to live in the global community.

CYA is a not-for-profit educational institution based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and governed by a board of trustees. It offers this program through the Athens-based International Center for Hellenic and Mediterranean Studies (DIKEMES), a member of the Association of American Colleges in Greece (AACG). The language of instruction is English, the faculty is European and American, and the majority of the students come from North America.

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